Never Turn Your Back On the Enemy
++ Nyon ++ Nyon was the capital of Cybertron during the Golden Age, the rule of Nova Prime, when energon was plentiful and the planet's population was at peace. Now, with nearby Iacon the capital of the planet, Nyon has become a ghetto, and a shell of its former self. Temples, libraries, energon refineries and places of culture have been all abandoned, left to corrode and rot away as their patrons moved to the newer, better capital city to the east. Left behind were the low caste and disposable laborers, who commute to Iacon to maintain and keep it, while being denied the privilege of its living quarters. Poverty and crime are rife here, with only minimal police presence to keep it at bay, making it a fertile breeding ground for rebellion and dissent. The old heart of Nyon is a place where many of the oppressed and downtrodden have chosen to take refuge, away from the state and those who would seek to have them thrown in jail or brainwashed. It was supposed to be safe there, where the authorities typically turned a blind optic, but lately its denizens aren't so sure of that any more. Most of them have holed themselves up in their modest abodes, refusing to come out unless absolutely necessary, and even if they are found on the street, they are in much of a hurry to return to shelter. Was this no longer a place of refuge? Blast Off finds himself here, too... though not for the reasons many do. No, he's found his own refuge for the poor and downtrodden (which is something he never thought HE'D be)- a place in Kaon where he is as safe as he'll be anywhere in this crazy world. No, he's here for other reasons- business reasons. Swindle has him transporting supplies to the Nyon rebels and so the shuttleformer has been making frequent stops in the city as part of his job. Ok, well... that's not the only reason anymore. Blast Off recently learned Shiftlock is living here. The femme he has feelings for (if he'd ever admit it, that is). What he /can/ admit to himself is that he's glad she is still safe, at least, now that that jerk Barricade threw her out of the Decepticons. And so- the Combaticon is here finishing up business when he decides to take a walk... possibly even see if he can find Shiftlock again. Shiftlock is nowhere to be seen, however. In fact, there aren't many people out and about at all. The area is eerily silent, the streets practically empty. A small d-class type scurries across the road though, looking fearful and anxious to get back to cover... Blast Off doesn't like this. The odd silence makes the shuttleformer begin to feel a bit paranoid and wary- well, even MORE than usual, that is. Violet optics glance about, brown head turning slowly to take in the scene. When the small disposable scurries past, Blast Off looks at the other 'bot. His voice is calm and flat for now. "Something wrong?" The small mech startles, whirling around. He looks terrified for a moment, but calms down when Blast Off doesn't seem to be planning any hostile moves. "Y-you could say that." he replies timidly. "Look, I've really got to get out of the open..." Blast Off furrows his optic ridges, still staring down at the other mech. "...Why? Did something happen? Where is everyone?" "Hiding." The mech answers. "W-well...we thought this was a safe place, but not long ago one of Prime's enforcers showed up. He killed three of us, and arrested one...everyone's wondering if more of them are gonna show up!" Blast Off siiighs. Great, just great. He supposes he shouldn't be surprised- he saw Blurr here, after all. That gives him a flicker of concern for Shiftlock suddenly, but she's probably safely hiding away with those rebel friends of hers. "I see. They're even arresting disposables now a days, are they? The government's gotten out of control." "Well..." the mech's face falls momentarily. "The one they arrested, I think she was the one who beat up Ratbat a few stellar cycles ago. I think that's why they were after her." He suddenly looks even more anxious. "The enforcer who showed up...he was...special, like an Outlier! I didn't really get a good glimpse of him, everything happened so fast, but we hardly had time to even realize what hit us!" The moment the mech mentions Ratbat, Blast Off's fuel lines seem to freeeze. Everything sort of... stops. "....What?" He forces himself to keep listening, but his mind keeps going back to THAT. "...Do you know her name?" Please don't say Shiftlock. "Shiftlock, I think." The mech replies. Yep. "At least I think that's what it was, I didn't think you'd know her." Smelt it all. Blast Off feels sick now. He stands there, taking that in for a moment, before he collects himself and looks down once more. "I.... am acquainted." His voice is becoming very... controlled and steady, because he needs it to be. Raging wouldn't do a slagging thing right now. There's a deep ventilation cycle and he continues. "You said.... you saw the one who arrested her? Describe him to me. Do you know his name, by any chance?" Despite the overall calm tone, there's a trace of iciness in the Combaticon's voice that suggests it would be unwise to withhold information right now. "Tell me everything you know." "Well," The mech rubs the back of his neck. "Like I said, everything happened so fast, I was too busy getting to cover and didn't quite catch who it was exactly. I just know he was wearing the first face symbol like the rest of those enforcers." his optics widen. "You're not planning on going after him, are you? He was no joke! He was moving so fast I couldn't even see who it was!" Blast Off's optics narrow. "Never you mind. ....HOW fast? Was he a racer?" He pauses a moment. "...Was he mostly blue?" "I don't know!" The mech isn't liking that look on Blast Off's face. "Well yeah I think he was mostly blue." There's a slow rumble of Blast Off's engines, which start softly but rev up towards an angry roaring burst. He looks- and IS- ticked off now. "...I see." The shuttle quiets again, beginning to look up the street. "How long ago was this? Where'd they go?" "Not very. Solar cycle ago." the empty shrugs. "Slag if I know where they went. Jail, probably." That just... take some of the wind out of the shuttle. If it was /that/ long ago, then.... she's /gone/ already. They've already taken her, and.... who knows *what* has already happened to her. The shuttle wilts a bit, imagining the worst. Is she still even alive? If she is, she's probably stuck in some cold, cramped cell, just like he was. What if Feint pays HER a visit? Or Pharma? The Combaticon feels his fuel tanks threatening to purge, and he clutches a black hand against the purple metal armor of his torso. His voice is much more somber now. "I.... see." He begins to walk away, ignoring the other mech now and feeling in a bit of a daze. The poor d-class empty turns and hurries back off to find cover. He's been out in the open for far too long. If Blast Off were to examine the ground, he'd find that the marks there indeed do look like they were made by someone very familiar to him. Someone -fast- and light. They point toward the expressway that leads out of the city to the east, where Iacon is located. Blast Off notices the fooprints, hands balling up into fists. It's Blurr, it's got to be. "I should have /killed/ him when I had the chance..." Muttering icily to himself, the shuttle isnt quite sure *what* to do yet. But for now he simply walks along, following the tracks and trying to clear his mind- and alert to any more clues. As he approaches the expressway, he can hear the sounds of various vehicles zooming past on it. As per usual, there's a lot of traffic to and from Iacon. But as luck would have it, if he makes his way east toward Iacon, he might just spot a familiar hovercar zipping along, weaving in and out of traffic toward the capital city-state. Blast Off blinks as he spots that hovercar. The shuttle just... stares a moment. Of all the dumb luck. You'd almost think this was some sort of plot contrivance somewhere.... but no, that would just be silly! He shakes his head. Of course, he's not likely to outrun Blurr- certainly not with the speedster already having a head start on him. Hmm. He's GOT to make him stop and turn back- and surely Blurr would chase him if he knew he was around? Escaped prisoner, wanted mech, and all that. The Combaticon transforms, rising up in the air to lift into the sky. He pushes his thrusters, creating a roar and a flash that might attract the attention of a certain spy- and then rockets off towards the horizon, hoping Blurr will pursue. He keeps low, mostly just making an appearance for Blurr- then disappearing amongst the cityscape once more. Oh he had certainly made an appearance, and Blurr had definitely taken notice. Has the racer followed him? There's only one way to find out... Blast Off continues flying a moment longer, then transforms to land on top of the highest building he can find and stand there, scanners sweeping the area for any sign of the racer. His blaster in hand and violet optics shining from the dim light, he waits. There is no sign of him for a few breems, and it might have seemed that his little showoff had failed in some manner. But then... "Looking for me?" An all-too-familiar voice says from behind him. And if the Combaticon turns, he will find Blurr standing on the other side of the roof of the building he's perched upon, leaning casually against a communication needle. "Heh, long time no see." Blast Off's scanners pick up the racer, though in typical Blurr fashion there isn't a lot of warning between the *blip* on the screen and the sudden appearance of the speedster. The Combaticon lets out the tiniest huff- a near-chuckle, almost, at his plan working. Now, to make it pay off. He turns- slowly, blaster still in hand. He looks very much *not* amused. "...Not long enough." There's a pause, and he states, almost as an aside, "I hear you've been busy here lately." "Not long enough, eh?" Blurr laughs. "Then what's with the showoff? Clearly you wanted to see me." He folds his arms, appearing unconcerned. "/Wanted/ to see you? ...Not really. However, I did have a few... questions." Blast Off's head tilts slightly. "Do you enjoy repaying the few friends you have by betraying them?" His head tilts the other way now. "Or is that simply that /unfortunate/ *mind control* ineptitude of yours at work?" "Sometimes people need to be betrayed in order to see the error of their ways." Blurr replies. "Not to say that they're terrible people. I mean I'm sure they are well-intentioned, but misguided. Sometimes it takes tough times to realize that you're going about it all wrong, yeah?" Blast Off ahhhs, slowly nodding his head as if he agrees with the racer. "I see. of course." He seems quite calm. "You're just helping guide little lost turbo-sheep back to the flock. How... noble." The Combaticon's expression (what can be seen of it) continues to be unreadable. He glances off to the side, gazing upon the city lights. "I suppose you were just showing Shiftlock a little tough love, then? Help her... see the way?" "Maybe." Blurr chuckles. "But maybe she's too steeped in her own little world to ever see the light, and just needs to be put away somewhere where she won't do any more damage than she's already done. Besides, it's only fair that she face justice for what she did to Ratbat. I mean, anyone -else- would have had to, right? Why should she be given special treatment?" Blurr's words both sting and soothe at the same time. He appears to confirm that yes, he did arrest her and "put her away". However, "facing justice" implies that there might still be a little time. Of course, people told Blast Off he'd go on trial, "face" this "justice" of which they speak... and he knew better. He was proven right, too, when Pharma came for him. Blast Off continues gazing outwards. "Ah, yes. Naturally. Because meeting with any sort of "justice" is what happens when an outlaw is locked away these days. Well, if that's the case, then I suppose she'd have visiting rights, wouldn't she? Knowing she was ...okay might alleviate the concerns of her friends here. Help... ease their minds." "Right!" Blurr nods, appearing to not have any idea that Blast Off is being sarcastic. He sighs somewhat dramatically. "It's hard, doing the right thing, you know, a lot of times." He shrugs at the question of visiting rights. "I don't know, I'm not the protocol expert. You'd have to ask Prowl or even Sentinel Prime about that one." Blast Off just continues to nod and look like he's agreeing with the other mech. "I imagine it is! You must get pulled in a lot of directions, with all the things you do... And all that, on top of being a celebrity! It must be stressful." He stops to stare fixedly at a distant point of light somewhere. "Ah. Very well, I shall." Like he's really going to be marching in to ask Prowl some questions. "Yeah, especially when the people who need to be put away used to be your friends. It's sad, but necessary. It wouldn't be fair if they weren't punished for breaking the law just because you used to know them. Like I said, why should they be given special treatment?" There's a pause, as Blurr draws a stun weapon. "...and why should -you-?" Electrons crackle through the air as the speedster aims to stun the Combaticon and knock him off of the roof so that he'd be helpless to save himself from the fall. Combat: You hit Blast Off! Blast Off gets taken by surprise. Not that he'd admit that later most likely, but... he is. He had no idea Blurr had a stun weapon, and as the racer pulls it out and fires, he's not able to duck in time. And this is BAD. For so many reasons. The most immediate of which is... he gets knocked off a very high building. Okay, it's a desolate part of town, and this place isn't home to the skyscrapers of, say, Vos (where he'd *really* be slag out of luck right now).... but it's several stories down. The Combaticon tries desperately to move, to transform, to do *anything*... to no avail. He tumbles helplessly down like a stone dropped from the sky. The resulting, crashing, crunching *BOOOM* of torn metal and armor is heard from blocks away- even tumbling down a few rusting structures nearby. The stunned Combaticon lies there in pain a moment, feeling stunned and sick now.... but at least the crash and resulting pain has knocked some life back into him. He groans, and starts trying to push himself up. Energon is leaking and his heat shields are shattered in several spots. He's got to fight off the stun and start fighting Blurr. Before Blurr doesn't just TELL him where Shiftlock is, but SHOWS him... by making him join her. THAT's not going to do either of them any good. It's not long before Blurr follows him down, leaping from ledge to ledge between the building they'd been standing on and the one nearest it. He finds the Combaticon struggling to his feet, and laughs. "Gotcha!" he teases, looking almost playful. "You know I thought you were a -Combaticon-. You know, combat? You know what the first rule of one-on-one combat is?" He raises the weapon again, except this time it's no stun gun. Laserfire cuts through the air toward the shuttleformer. "Never turn your back on your enemy!" Combat: You miss Blast Off! Blast Off lies on the ground, on his hands and knees as he seems unable to push himself up any further. His head hangs down, helmet leaking along with the rest of him. Ventilation systems cycle weakly with a raspy *huff*. As Blurr approaches, the Combaticon remains mostly still, just swaying slightly from all the damage. He seems unable to move. Blurr taunts him and lifts his weapon- and then suddenly the shuttleformer springs to life. It seems he wasn't still stunned after all. As Blurr fires, he thrusts himself off to the side, spinning and rolling on the ground. His damaged joints creak in some small protest at the sudden movement, but he evades the shots. As he does so, he brings up his blaster to take aim at the racer. "Oh, but I AM a Combaticon, Blurr. I wasn't created yesterday... something YOU certainly can't claim. And I didn't turn my back on my enemy... You just made a lucky shot, is all. One you won't make again!" With that he fires as he leaps back onto his feet. Combat: Blast Off partially hits Blurr for minor damage! Blurr twists and turns, evading most of the shots, though some of it manages to scrape his outer armor. "Maybe I was, but for having been created yesterday, I sure did do a good job getting the jump on a -seasoned- warrior like yourself!" he laughs. Attempting to flank him then dart behind him, Blurr brings out another weapon, this one somewhat like a harpoon gun not unlike the ones those enforcers had wielded on that fateful day in space. The day Blast Off became a -true- renegade. He fires it, attempting to snag him in the back and drag him back off to prison! Hey, maybe he'll get to see Shiftlock there! Combat: You hit Blast Off! Blast Off is rapidly finding out that taking on a speedster like Blurr might actually be sort of a bad idea. It SEEMED like a good idea at the time, really. The Combaticon's excellent aim allows him to make some shots few others probably would be able to manage... but still it's not quite enough. "Keep talking, Blurr. Just expend that extra energy while I endure... and then take you down." But come to think of it, he better get airborne. Standing here on the ground certainly isn't putting him at an advantage. The shuttleformer lifts up... just in time for Blurr to come speeding up and behind. And again, the racer is faster than the Combaticon's reflexes. He just has time to widen his optics a little in realization at just *what* Blurr is pointing at him- before the harpoon tears into his back, right at the base of his vertical stabilizer- or tail fin in shuttle mode. It's a little high, fortunately for him, and misses his spark, but it hurts like SLAG. OMP. "AIiiiiigh!" Blast Off's upwards progress is halted by this turn of events, and he falls back to the ground, staggering with fresh pain and shock before gritting his dentae and trying to turn around to fire at Blurr point blank. Combat: Blast Off misses Blurr! Ah, that little guy back in old Nyon hadn't been kidding when he'd warned Blast Off that Blurr was no joke! The harpoon-like weapon makes purchase, digging itself into Blast Off's back and lodging right under his armor. Blurr twists out of the way of the Combaticon's shot, and begins to retract the cable, pulling the shuttleformer right along with it. "Ha! Give it up, Blast Off! You're going back to jail where you -belong-." And it seems the racer is right, as of this moment...that is, unless he can find a way to rip that weapon out of his body and fly away where Blurr can't follow... Blast Off's engines rumble a bit as Blurr evades his shots- then stop at the sudden wave of pain that causes him. But the shuttle is grimacing under his faceplate. He's ticked off. This is NOT how he planned this to go, and he has absolutely NO desire to wind up in prison again right after getting busted out. Pharma would be all too happy to see him, after all. But Blurr starts reeling in the line, pulling him in like a snagged petro-fish. And Blurr's stronger than he is, so it's hard to resist. He tries to anyway. The pull of the harpoon hurts like slag, but he fires up his anti-gravs and lifts up into the air again... this time, instead of pulling against the line- he just goes *with* it, flying towards Blurr and firing off a shot. If he can distract the racer it will give him time to pull the torturous device out of his back... hopefully. Combat: Blast Off partially hits Blurr for minor damage! Once again, Blurr dodges the shot, though it grazes him slightly. But his grip on the weapon remains steady as the cable continues to pull him toward the racer. "Oh Blast Off, you're just making this hard on yourself." he chuckles. "Here, let me put you out of your misery." He fires again, aiming to knock him into stasis lock. Combat: Blast Off partially blocks your attack and takes less damage. The shots don't quite hit their mark, though they do chip away at him....in a strangely convenient spot that makes it easier to simply rip the barbs out and fly away. It's going to hurt like slag, but if he lives through -that-, he might live to see another day -not- in prison or spark isolation...is it worth it? Blast Off doesn't quite hit home the way he'd hoped, and that steady pull is inexorably dragging him closer and closer to Blurr. His wide ring of personal space has already been intruded upon (doesn't take much, admittedly). The Combaticon's optics flare up with a deeper purple at all of Blurr's taunts, as well as just simple anger at how this is going so far. But Blurr /is/ distracted just enough to give Blast Off what he needed- an opportunity to yank the harpoon out. He takes it, one quick pull causing a gasp of pain as fresh energon spills forth. But no, he's not done. He's on a mission to find out what happened to Shiftlock- and, come to think of it.... on a mission of revenge. This is his opportunity to take out a Senate spy once and for all... or at the very least let him know what happens when you cross a Combaticon. Let him /suffer/ like Blast Off /suffered/ in prison. "I will NEVER go back to prison. And no, Blurr, given all the things you've done I plan on being your very own personal *misery*.... up until I put an end to you. Now TELL ME where Shiftlock is!!!" He's still hovering, free of the harpoon now and starting to fly higher up as he aims his weapon once more and fires. Energon leaks from the shuttle mech, though, splattering purple on the street below. Combat: Blast Off partially hits Blurr for minor damage! Blast Off's shots again only manage to graze Blurr's armor as he twists back and forth to evade most of them. Despite the gravity of the Combaticon's threats, Blurr seems to still be in happy-go-lucky playtime mode. "Good luck with that!" Blast Off's shots again only manage to graze Blurr's armor as he twists back and forth to evade most of them. Despite the gravity of the Combaticon's threats, Blurr seems to still be in happy-go-lucky playtime mode like the child he is. "Good luck with that!" he laughs, tossing the broken harpoon gun aside. "Oh, Shiftlock? Is that what you wanted all along! Sure, I can tell you, I took her straight back to Ratbat. She belonged to him to begin with after all, so it's only fair that he gets to decide what happens to her, right?" Suddenly, he pauses, something having just occured to him, and he grins. "Awww, do you care about her? Like, actually really care? Ha, I didn't know you had the -capacity- to care! That's really sweet, Blast Off!" he calls out from atop a lighted sign nearby that he's climbed onto. Blast Off was prepared for that possibility. His response sounds quite sincere as he replies, his voice oozing practiced ice, "No, of *course* not. Surely you know me better than THAT by now. She owes me money. She has debts to pay, and she can't pay them in prison. Besides, I think it's time you and your corrupt masters learned to leave well enough alone." He hovers high in mid-air now, out of easy grasp, and sneers down at the racer as he once again aims his weapon and fires. "I am going to make you regret ever tangling with me. Now TELL me where she is!" The iciness he is capable of is just dripping off him as he speaks. Combat: Blast Off partially hits Blurr for minor damage! "Sorry pal, no can do." Blurr smirks, once -again- dodging most of Blast Off's shots. They chip at his armor and maybe make some marks on his paintjob but most of them just make black marks on the ground near the racer's feet. "I already told you everything I know. If you want more details, you'll have to take it up with Ratbat himself!" And then, just as abruptly as he'd arrived, the speedster just...takes off. Gone just like that. Apparently he'd decided to save this for another time. Or maybe, he'd already done what he'd originally set out to do. Which was what? Had he planted a tracker on Blast Off with that harpoon weapon? Or worse, a bomb, or poison? That -might- be a disturbing thought. Blast Off is really getting tired of Blurr dodging most of his shots. He's a sniper par excellence and he already completly *sucked* when he was trying to shoot Whirl the other cycle. Maybe he shouldn't shoot when he's upset over a femme. This apparently doesn't work well for him. The Combaticon huffs, dropping down a little closer, weapon aimed... and then Blurr takes off. Slag it all! Blast Off flies after him, trying to keep up, but to no avail. Blurr is gone, and Blast Off is left with extensive damage and nothing to really show for it. He shakes his head slowly in a quiet, inward rage, still hovering in the air. The shuttle IS a civilized mech... really he is.... but right now, he's feeling remarkably *uncivilized*. He finally fires off a shot at a light pole, sending it crashing to the ground, and flies off in a dark cloud of his own. If he's been infected with something, he doesn't feel it. Yet. And hmmm... Ratbat, huh? Blast Off wonders if there could even BE a way to do just that....